The Tiger and the Fox
by Trackster
Summary: Following the most recent loss of his closest friend, Snowstalker, Tigatron rescues Foxy, the little red fox cub Maximal and very quickly makes himself a new friend.


**Please note: I do not own the Transformers, their names, brands or have anything to do with their products or company. All credit for Transformers and Beast Wars goes straight to Hasbro and Shout Factory. However, I AM the rightful owner to my very own unique character, Foxy, the little red fox cub Maximal.**

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**This is a very special story that I wrote as a personal gift and in honor to the talented and wonderful man, Blu Mankuma, who was so generous and kind to lend his voice talent to Tigatron in the "Beast Wars" computer-animated series back in the 90s. Always a man of great happiness and optimism, this is my way of giving him something back in return. This story is for you, Mr Mankuma. Enjoy.**

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**The Tiger and the Fox.**

The sun was beginning to set on prehistoric earth. A beautiful, golden glow of the last rays of sunlight shone down upon the rocky grounds, mountains and grasslands below. Far from the Maximal base, Tigatron, a Maximal who's beast mode was that of a white tiger, stalked and roamed silently through the large, tall grasses of the forests and green, wide open plains. Unlike his fellow-Maximals, who all lived together within the Maximal Base, Tigatron always felt himself to be a lot more tiger than Maximal. Therefore, he preferred to prowl alone; living wild and free in the great outdoors, acting as guardian to their territory while forever keeping an eye open for any Predacons that may attempt to trespass onto their grounds and launch a sneak attack on them.

"Mmm...such a beautiful evening," Tigatron spoke softly to himself, taking in the fresh scents of the plants and flowers," I wish Cybertron had so much beauty and peace such as this. If such such nature as this existed on my home planet, I would not feel desire to remain here forever."

Tigatron had only just barely finished his sentence when all of a sudden, the ground began to rumble and shake violently beneath his feet, startling him out of his deep thoughts.

"By the Matrix!" he exclaimed in alarm, raising his head to the sound of even more loud rumbling to be heard in the distance. "What's happening?"

Suddenly, only moments after the loud, rumbling noise had began, a high-pitched scream rang through the air. Upon hearing this, Tigatron gasped in alarm.

"Oh, no," he cried out, immediately breaking into the fastest run as he possibly could towards the scream. "Someone needs help!"

After a few minutes of running, Tigatron arrived, panting heavily, at the edge of a very large cliff-top, high above a deep scree slope below. Looking down into the deep scree slope, a rock-slide cascaded fast and heavily down the side of one of many of the tall mountains, just as an avalanche of snow would. As he continued to peer down into the scree slope, Tigatron gasped in horror when his sharp, tiger eyes suddenly spotted a tiny, red figure running for it's life down the hill, dodging sharply left and right, trying desperately to avoid being hit by the falling rocks as they came tumbling down after it.

"NO!" Tigatron cried. Without even a moment's hesitation, Tigatron took off at full speed, racing, jumping and sliding down into the scree slope. "Hold on," he cried out loudly to the small red creature running for it's life, "I'm coming for you. Don't stop running!"

Whether or it could hear him, he didn't know. However, as Tigatron jumped and slid from rock to rock, racing down the scree slope towards the small, red creature, painful memories began to flash through his mind to the time when he lost a close friend of his; a white tigress named Snowstalker. During a recent fight with the Predacons, Tigatron blasted a shot Waspinator. However, he missed his target and, instead, shot the side of a large, tall mountain, accidentally causing a rock-slide that fell upon Snowstalker, crushing her to death. Tigatron, so overwhelmed with grief and guilt, refused to have any further part in the Beast Wars after that. However, in time, he returned, realizing the Predacons would only continue to destroy his new home he had grown to know and love if he did not defend it and all it's inhabitants. Snowstalker may have been a pure, organic creature of the earth and not a Maximal. Nevertheless, Tigatron had grown very fond of her and it had been from her form that his beast mode was chosen and Tigatron was born.

As history was repeating itself in front of Tigatron's very eyes, he just could not bear the thought of another innocent life being lost to the Predacons or otherwise...especially not one so very young.

"Keep running! Keep running," Tigatron cried out, as he grew closer, "don't stop for anything!"

As the small, red creature continued to ran frantically down the scree slope, she took a powerful leap through the air, trying desperately to escape the falling rocks behind her. But, unfortunately, her luck finally ran out. During midair, a large rock succeeded in striking hard and sharp against her small body. Letting out a loud, sharp scream of pain, she fell to the ground, rolling over a few times before coming to a stop, laying still.

"NO! NO!" Tigatron screamed in terror, as the rocks and stones continued to cascade down towards her; some even beginning to crush her.

Tigatron grunted and cried out in pain when he was unfortunately knocked about a few times by some of the falling rocks and stones. However, thankfully not too much so. As he finally neared the fallen creature, he worked as fast as he could to dig her out from the few rocks and stones that had began to bury her as more and more rocks continued to cascade down quickly towards them. Finally, digging her free, Tigatron discovered that the small, red creature was a fox...only a cub. Without a moment's hesitation, grabbing her full body in his mouth, he made an extremely fast and speedy race out of the scree slope, taking a giant leap up through the air at the first ledge he could grab. With his claws digging into the side of the cliff's edge, he gave grunts, moans and cries of pain as a few rocks managed to strike his back, marking him all over. After a desperate struggle and with the fox cub still in his mouth, Tigatron gave one, last, huge heave as he managed to pull both himself and the fox cub to safety. He then watched as the last of the rockfall gradually came to a stop; the fallen rocks and stones resting at the bottom. Once again, everything was at peace and the air became quiet and still.

Tigatron carried the small fox cub, hanging limp and still from his mouth, away from the cliff's edge. Only when they were a safe enough distance away, did Tigatron set the lifeless creature down onto the ground.

"No. Please, don't be dead," Tigatron pleaded quietly, circling the baby fox, looking for any signs of life. "Wake up. Come on! Please, get up!"

His eyes began to well up with tears as he nudged her gently with a large paw and nuzzled her with his nose. It was only then, as he nuzzled her, he made his discovery.

"Wait," he began, sniffing the small fox, "you're...you're a Maximal...and, you're still alive! Oh, thank the Matrix!"

Tigatron was overwhelmed with relief and happiness, knowing another innocent creature had not been robbed of it's right to live. However, he was even more relieved upon discovering the little red fox cub he had just saved was a Maximal and not a pure, organic fox. Had she been organic, it was highly unlikely she would have survived the injuries she endured being buried by rocks and boulders. Her Maximal-side saved her long enough for Tigatron to rescue her. Inspecting her, Tigatron quickly realized the little red fox cub was leaking a heavy pool of Energon. With the amount of Energon escaping her and being so very small Tigatron realized he had very little time to get her back to the Maximal base and into a C.R chamber before she went offline forever.

"Please, hold on, little one," Tigatron spoke softly, scooping up the little red fox cub in his mouth. With that being said, he took off in a fast run, speeding across the ground as quickly as he could towards Maximal Headquarters.

Foxy had ventured far too far away from the Maximal base; so much so, that Tigatron couldn't help but wonder how Foxy had managed to travel so far all by herself without being spotted by any Predacons roaming around or by natural predators of the earth. Furthermore, did any of the Maximals even realize she was missing? Fearing for her life, Tigatron continued to run as fast, long and hard as he could across the ground, never once stopping for a rest. By now, it was pitch black outside, with only the stars and the gentle glow of light from the large, white moon in the night sky to guide his way.

Inside Maximal headquarters, Optimus Primal, Cheetor and the others had discovered Foxy was no longer in Optimus' personal quarters and couldn't find her anywhere within the base. As they were preparing to go out and do a wide search for her, it was at that moment Cheetor spotted Tigatron on their radar screens.

"Hey, Optimus," Cheetor called out to his leader, "I've got Tigatron on the screen coming in fast...and he's carrying Foxy in his mouth!"

"Foxy?!" said Optimus, immediately concerned by Cheetor's tone.

"Yeah. I think she's hurt."

Without any hesitation, Optimus Primal and Cheetor hurried onto the elevator platform, descending to the ground outside.

The moment Optimus and Cheetor touched the ground, Tigatron, beyond exhausted, finally crashed and tumbled to the ground, unable to move anymore. His legs felt so heavy from exhaustion, he couldn't even stand up. Tigatron lay on the ground on his side, gasping and heaving heavily for air, unable to move. Some Energon was bleeding from his wounds.

"Big cat!" exclaimed Cheetor, running over to the fallen Tigatron.

"Tigatron!" Optimus cried out, very worried. Immediately, he took Foxy from Tigatron's mouth, holding her safely in his hands. "Tigatron, what happened to you?! What happened to Foxy?!"

"Rock-slide," Tigatron could barely speak through his gasping; the poor, large cat was badly injured and so weak. "She's hurt. She needs help. Just...get her into a C.R chamber...before it's...too late!"

"What about you?" said Optimus. "You're hurt too."

"I'll be fine," Tigatron groaned, obviously in terrible pain. "I just...need...to rest. The child...is more important. She's bleeding heavily. Get her into the C.R chamber now...before she goes offline. Please!"

"Cheetor, stay here and watch over Tigatron," Optimus ordered.

"You got it, Big Bot," responded Cheetor.

"Hang in there, Tigatron," said Optimus, "as soon as Foxy's been in the C.R Chamber, I'll come back for you."

As Optimus hurried back into Maximal headquarters, carrying a bleeding Foxy in his hands, Cheetor lay himself down beside Tigatron to help keep him warm with his own body heat.

"Tigatron...initiate internal repairs."

Those were Tigatron's last words before he finally became unconscious; falling into a deep sleep, exhausted from the day's events, plus the injuries he had sustained.

"Don't worry, big cat," Cheetor spoke comfortingly to Tigatron, licking his wounds, "you're gonna be okay and so is Foxy."

* * *

The night proved to be a long, exhausting and stressful experience for all the Maximals, mainly for Rhinox and Optimus Primal, both of whom needed to stay awake for many long hours to keep watch over Foxy as she recuperated in the C.R chamber. Neither one of them wanted to take the risk of leaving her alone and vulnerable to any potential Predacon attacks. Fortunately, however, Foxy made a full and speedy recovery within only a few hours, thanks to the bravery, courage and fast actions of Tigatron and spent the rest of the night sleeping within the warm, protective and loving embrace of Optimus Primal within his personal quarters.

The following morning, as the sun shone warm, bright and beautifully in the sky, Optimus and Cheetor assisted Tigatron inside the Maximal base so he may use the C.R chamber. On their way to the C.R chamber, Tigatron told Cheetor and Optimus everything that had happened the day before, how he had stumbled upon Foxy and how the two of them became injured. While all this was going on, Foxy had already awoken earlier that morning to venture outside into the great outdoors to play. Optimus never approved of her sneaking off as she always did, fearing for her safety and not wanting to lose her to the Predacons, nor anyone or anything else.

After Tigatron had been fully-repaired and healed within the C.R chamber, he made his way back outside and sat alone on the rocky grounds, staring off into the distance; almost in a daydream. However, the moment he sensed the presence of Optimus Primal, he turned his head towards him.

"How is she?" he asked, standing up immediately and turning to him. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Optimus assured him. "she took quite a lot of damage from all those rocks. But, we managed to get her patched up again. Thank Primus you found her when you did. She would have died otherwise."

Tigatron growled in concern, looking away from him. This, Optimus noticed.

"Tigatron, I know you're still grieving for your friend, Snowstalker, and you blame yourself for what happened," said Optimus, "but, it really wasn't your fault for her death, nor was what happened to Foxy your fault. So, please...don't go blaming yourself for this too."

"I just want to know she's safe," Tigatron retorted, growling. "I just could not bear the death of another innocent...especially one so young."

Optimus sighed, sensing Tigatron's guilt. Until Tigatron saw with his own two eyes that Foxy was safe and well, he was only going to worry himself sick.

"You know...I'm sure Foxy would be delighted to meet the one who saved her life," said Optimus, "and, it would be good for her to make herself a new friend. Do you wish to meet her, Tigatron? She's always been a lot more Fox than Maximal, so you two already have something in common. I think you'll really like her."

Chuckling and with a grateful smile, Tigatron looked up up Optimus.

"I already like her," he replied, "and, I would like to meet her very much."

Optimus chuckled, then pointed into the distance. "Well, you're in luck because here she comes now."

Looking in the direction of Optimus' pointing finger, the little red fox cub was making her way back to the Maximal base.

"Good morning, Foxy," Optimus called out to her.

"Optimus," Foxy called out happily.

Tigatron was overjoyed to see how alive and well Foxy was as she bounded happily along the ground, running towards Optimus. As she grew closer, however, the moment she spotted Tigatron, she gasped in fear; immediately sliding to a stop. She froze on the spot, staring right at Tigatron.

"Please, be very gentle with her," said Optimus, "Foxy's very timid of new-comers. I don't think she's ever even seen a tiger before."

"I promise, I will be as gentle as a pussy cat," Tigatron chuckled, which helped to calm Optimus's nerves.

Foxy sat on the ground, trembling in fear as Tigatron slowly began to walk towards her.

"It's alright, Foxy," Optimus called over, reassuringly, "this is Tigatron, our friend. He rescued you from the rock slide yesterday."

As Tigatron slowly approached her, the little red fox cub cowered to the ground, whimpering in fear. Soon, she was engulfed in the great white tiger's huge shadow as he stood towering over her. Tigatron could only look down upon her with a sympathetic smile on his face as Foxy looked up at him with the biggest, most frightened eyes he had ever seen in such a young and small animal.

"It's alright, little one," he spoke softly.

But, the little fox cub was far too afraid of this huge cat to move. She just stayed crouched low to the ground, trembling and whimpering; her ears pulled back and pressed hard against her head.

"Please, don't be afraid of me," Tigatron begged, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Bowing his head down low, Tigatron began to nuzzle the young Maximal affectionately. The little fox cub gave a squeak of surprise as she submissively allowed herself to be pushed onto her side by Tigatron's nose. After giving her a few friendly nuzzles, Tigatron settled himself back down on the ground, laying on his stomach. Then, becoming like a mother cat to her kittens, he began to lick her affectionately, grooming her fur and doing his best to earn her trust. To Tigatron's and Optimus' delight, it seemed his efforts worked. At first unsure of Tigatron's first few licks, the little red fox cub sat up slowly and cautiously; her ears pricking upwards in a more relaxed and happy manner. Seeming to understand that this huge white tiger with the many black stripes was not going to hurt her, the little red fox cub now had a happy little smile on her face as she allowed Tigatron to continue to lick and groom her fur. In fact, she even began to giggle when Tigatron licked and groomed around her ears, her face and especially her neck. He chuckled as she now squirmed to escape from Tigatron, only for him to cup his paw around her and hold her in place.

"Careful, Tigatron," Optimus called over with a mischievous smile on his face, "she's very ticklish."

"Heh heh heh! I noticed," Tigatron chuckled, as the little fox continued to giggle and squirm within his paws. "So, can you talk little one?"

"Don't even get her started," Optimus called over to Tigatron, with humour in his voice, "you'll never get her to shut up."

"Hey!" exclaimed Foxy.

"Oh, so you CAN talk," Tigatron happily said, laughing at the young Maximal's sudden outburst.

At last releasing her, Foxy jumped out from Tigatron's large paws to stand in front of him. Sitting straight upright, the little red fox cub Maximal stared at Tigatron with such great curiosity in her eyes. Remaining still, Tigatron allowed Foxy to place her two front paws on his big face, sniffing him curiously.

"What are you?" she asked.

"I'm a Maximal, like you," Tigatron spoke softly, so as not to frighten her." My name is Tigatron. My beast mode is that of a white tiger."

"A white tiger?" she asked, becoming even more curious, "I've never seen a tiger before."

"Well...you have now," Tigatron responded, smiling down at her.

"Are you a cat...like Cheetor?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Tigatron.

Tigatron smiled at Foxy's statement. Then, still feeling a little pain from rescuing Foxy the day before, Tigatron groaned and grunted as he slowly pulled himself up onto his feet. However, when he did so, Foxy was suddenly overcome by fear and intimidation by the sheer size and height of this great, big white tiger standing before her. Compared to Cheetor, he was an incredibly muscular, large cat. Immediately, she crouched back down to the ground again; her ears pressed back hard against her head.

"Oh, no, no, no," Tigatron begged once more, "it's alright. I'm your friend. I'm not going to hurt you. Please, don't let my size frighten you, little one. I'm just a big pussy cat, really."

To prove himself to her, Tigatron did something that Optimus had never seen him do before. Just like a domesticated house cat, Tigatron suddenly flopped right down onto his side. From a distance, Optimus covered his mouth with one hand, trying desperately to suppress a powerful wave of laughter as he watched Tigatron now laying on his back with all four paws sprawled out to the sides in the air in a playful manner.

"See?" Tigatron spoke reassuringly to the little fox; his head stretched up so far that he was now looking at Foxy upside down, "I'm just a big old softy."

Tigatron chuckled as Foxy tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow at him, giving him a questioning smile as though to say, "you're weird." Tigatron remained still as he allowed the curious little red fox cub Maximal to inspect him, circling him as she sniffed the air all around him. She was, indeed, extremely curious to learn more of this great, big, white cat with the many black stripes. Suddenly, Tigatron began to giggle uncontrollably as Foxy began to sniff the side of his body, moving down towards his waist. He pulled his body to the side, trying to escape from the little fox's whiskers that stroked and teased his fur.

"Aha ha ha! Please, don't do that, little one," he tittered.

At first, Foxy looked confused, not understanding why Tigatron had suddenly become so giggly and nervous. However, it didn't take her long to figure it out, as the happy smile on her face suggested. To Tigatron's delight, Foxy actually began to giggle along with him. With great curiosity, Foxy placed both of her front paws onto his waist in between his rib-cage and hip bones and began to rub them furiously into his fur. Taken completely by surprise, Tigatron let loose a giant roar of laughter, arching forward before extending out sharply on his back.

"Hee hee hee! You're ticklish," Foxy giggled mischievously, clearly very happy about this revelation.

"No. No. NO," Tigatron begged, tittering and squirming uncontrollably as the little fox cub Maximal clawed herself up his side, climbing onto his belly.

Before Tigatron could protest any further, the young Maximal began to scrub and claw her paws on his belly, playfully tickling the large cat. Arching inwards before extending out sharply on his back, Tigatron began to roar with powerful, hearty laughter. Clinging to the belly of the great, big, white cat, Foxy giggled happily and mischievously along with Tigatron as he squirmed around helplessly on his back with all four paws sprawled out to the sides, wiggling in the air.

"What's wrong, Tigatron?" Foxy asked, mischievously, "I thought cats liked to have their tummies tickled."

"Optimus - aha ha ha - help," Tigatron cried out through his laughter.

Watching the adorable sight from a safe distance, the silver-back gorilla remained where he was. Folding his arms and with a big grin on his face, Optimus Primal only shook his head while chuckling in amusement.

Suddenly, Foxy began to quickly scramble from Tigatron's belly, up his body towards his face.

"Aha ha ha - By the Matrix! What...aha ha ha ha ha!"

Those were the only words Tigatron could cry out as Foxy quickly, but gently sank her teeth right into his neck underneath his chin. Tigatron laughed with the greatest of mirth and playfulness as the little red fox cub began to shake her head around, pretending to maul him to death; making the cutest little growls he had ever heard. If she had really wanted to bite Tigatron to hurt him, she could have done so. However, as she only wanted to play with him, by using her teeth gently, they provided the perfect tickling tool against the giant cat; those and her whiskers.

"Aha ha ha ha ha! Please, little one - aha ha ha! No more," Tigatron could barely say through his roaring laughter, continuing to wriggle and squirm around like crazy, "I am very ticklish - aha ha ha! I can't bear it."

Yes, it was true. Foxy was, indeed, tickling him. However, regardless of his begging, pleading and protests, Tigatron was, in fact, having the happiest time of his life! From the very first moment Tigatron had arrived onto prehistoric earth, all he had done was fight Predacons and engage in what he considered to be meaningless battle, death and destruction. So, to be able to play and laugh with so much mirth as he was at that very moment was a great blessing and a gift to him. If he had to engage in any kind of a fight, Tigatron would gladly choose a tickle fight over real combat any day.

Finally, after a few moments of playful tickling, Tigatron's laughter was reduced to happy giggles and chuckles as Foxy released his neck and now began to lick and nuzzle the big cat's face with the greatest affection he had ever received from the little fox cub. As Tigatron remained on his back, he was taken by surprise when Foxy then proceeded to wrap her paws around his face, giving him a great, big hug.

"Thank you for saving me," she spoke softly.

Chuckling affectionately, Tigatron cupped a large, warm paw around the back of the little fox cub maximal, returning her embrace.

"How are you feeling, little one?" Tigatron asked, feeling concerned, "are you fully-recovered?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Foxy replied, "Optimus and Rhinox helped me. Are YOU okay?"

"I am now, yes," a happy Tigatron responded.

Foxy smiled, happy and relieved to know her new friend was safe. Then, she leaped from Tigatron onto the ground, standing in front of him. Rolling around and getting to his feet, Tigatron laughed as the little red fox cub Maximal now stood before him in a play stance. With her forearms stretched out in front of her and her upper-body bowed to the floor, Foxy's hind legs stood up straight; her rear end in the air as her tailed swished left and right with great excitement and playfulness.

"Oh, so you wanna play some more, do you?" Tigatron said, grinning as he too bowed down into a play stance. "Okay, then, little one. Let's play!"

Growling, Tigatron sprung towards the little fox. Still watching from a safe distance, Optimus Primal threw his head back and burst into hearty laughter, watching with great amusement as Foxy dodged Tigatron's attack, leaped up over his head, ran along his back and then grabbed his tail in her mouth. Laughing all the while, Tigatron twisted and twirled, pawing at the air as he tried to detach the mischievous little fox cub from his tail.

For the next five to ten minutes, the tiger and the fox laughed and played together, having the happiest and most wonderful time of their lives as Tigatron raced across the ground, chasing after the speedy and frisky little fox. Though Foxy put up a pretty good fight, Tigatron soon succeeded in pouncing upon her, pinning her to the ground.

"Gotcha," Tigatron laughed.

Quickly bowing his head down towards her, Tigatron engulfed Foxy in his large, powerful jaws. Foxy screamed in happy, ticklish laughter, giggling non-stop as Tigatron playfully and gently shook her around in his clamped jaws, pretending to maul her to death, as she had done to him earlier. Tigatron giggled through his clamped teeth as the little fox tried in vain to wriggle and squirm from his jaws, pushing against his nose with her tiny paws and kicking at his mouth. However, it was no use, as his four large fang teeth held her firmly in place. A tiger's teeth are large, very sharp, powerful and lethal. Under normal circumstances, Tigatron's teeth could very easily tear through flesh, especially that of a little fox cub. However, as he was being so delicate and gentle with her, all his teeth did was greatly tickle her small body.

During the five to ten minutes that Tigatron and Foxy were playing together, Cheetor had arrived back from a solo morning patrol around Maximal perimeters to ensure there were no Predacons lurking around, especially as the Maximals presently had two members of their team recuperating from the rock-slide the day before. The moment Cheetor saw Tigatron being tickled by the little red fox cub Maximal during play, he could not believe his eyes. Unable to contain himself, he burst into laughter, sitting down beside Optimus Primal to watch the adorable sight unfold before him.

"Hee hee hee! Better him than us, right, big bot?" Cheetor giggled up to Optimus Primal.

"Right," Optimus agreed.

Cheetor and Optimus both began to laugh together with mirth and amusement as they enjoyed watching the tiger and the fox playing together.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Foxy stayed with Tigatron and never left his side, something Tigatron was most grateful for. After recent events and especially losing his closest friend, Snowstalker, Tigatron felt happy to have her company. As they spent time together getting to know each other, Tigatron spoke of many things to the young fox cub maximal, sharing all of his knowledge and wisdom with her of everything he had learned of their new home since first arriving onto prehistoric earth. He also shared with Foxy stories of the special bond and friendship he had shared with the white tigress, Snowstalker, whom was killed in the rock slide during his battle with the Predacons. This was a story that brought much sadness and remorse to the spark of the young fox cub Maximal, as she, herself, could not bear the pain of losing someone she loved so much. Every now and then, they played together some more, chasing and tussling each other and laughing happily.

Sadly, however, the day soon came to an end. As the sun was beginning to set all around the Maximal base, Tigatron said his goodbyes to Foxy and the Maximals before making his way back out to his home in the wild. However, unbeknownst to Tigatron and her fellow-Maximals, Foxy chose to sneak out of the Maximal Headquarters and tail Tigatron.

* * *

Around half an hour later, Foxy continued to follow the great, white tiger into the mountains and rocky terrain of Prehistoric earth, fortunately not too far from the Maximal base. Finally, Tigatron came to a stop, sitting down in front a pile of rocks all sitting upon each other, creating what appeared to be a grave marking. For a few moments, there was silence. Then...

"Shouldn't you be back at the Maximal base?" Tigatron suddenly asked out loud, alerting the little red fox cub to his knowledge of her presence.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, very surprised as she made her way over to him, sitting down beside him.

The white tiger simply chuckled. "Little young, I knew of your presence from the moment I left the base. You need to work on your stalking skills."

Foxy gave him an embarrassed smile and giggle, making Tigatron smile down at her. Normally, Foxy liked to see those she cared about smile. However, in this case, she couldn't help feeling sad. There was a look of sadness within Tigatron's smile. Turning away from her, Tigatron stared at the grave marking, attempting to hide a few tears that slipped from his eyes and ran down his furry face. But, Foxy saw the tears when they plopped onto the ground in front of his large paws; his head bowed low, as the grief overtook him. Wishing so much to help the large cat, Foxy rubbed herself affectionately against his side, then curled her way around behind his front paw so she ended up underneath his head bowed low. Standing up on her two hind legs, she reached up into the air and wrapped her paws around the large cat's face, giving him a hug.

"Please, don't be sad, Tigatron," she pleaded, "it's not your fault for what happened to Snowstalker. You were only trying to protect the ones you love."

Grateful and touched by her attempts to comfort him, Tigatron curled a large paw around the little red fox cub Maximal. Hugging her close and with tears still flowing down his cheeks, Tigatron gave her a few licks of affection and as a silent expression of appreciation for her compassion. Even though Tigatron was mourning the death of a beloved friend, he was so grateful to Primus that during that moment in time, he had gained himself a new one.

* * *

**The End.**


End file.
